Gaza: Newborns and other patients at risk as Nasser hospital has run out of fuel

9 January 2025

Nasser hospital, Al Aqsa hospital and European Gaza hospital are on the verge of closure due to a lack of fuel. This situation is threatening the lives of hundreds of patients, including newborns, who depend on electricity to stay alive, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Meanwhile, MSF teams are transferring fuel to Nasser and Al Aqsa hospital serving only as a temporary solution for the next 36 to 48 hours.

As of 8 January, electricity for the MSF-supported Nasser hospital might be cut-off in some departments leaving people without lifesaving care. In the neonatal intensive care unit, MSF is currently treating three children and four newborns with mechanical ventilation, as well as 15 newborns in incubators, all dependent on electricity provided by fuel generators.
 

MSF is alarmed by this catastrophic situation, which could have tragic and serious consequences as the situation is unlikely to improve. We call on all parties to facilitate the entry of fuel into Gaza and to ensure its safe delivery to medical facilities. The dismantling of the health system by the Israeli blockade, which is endangering the lives of people, must stop immediately.

“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives. The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive. They are already in an extremely vulnerable state, and any transfer to other hospitals would directly endanger their lives,” says Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator. “Putting the lives of children at risk like this is unacceptable and is a consequence of Israel’s ongoing blockade and continuous criminal looting of life-saving supplies.”

Nasser hospital has a capacity of 500 beds, where MSF teams are providing emergency, maternity, paediatric, burn and trauma care. Oxygen provision is one of the hospital’s main fuel requirements. MSF teams are treating over 100 cases of pneumonia on average each month, some who need oxygen support. At the same time, our teams are performing more than 100 c-sections each month, all of which require a constant supply of electricity. 

“It’s an impossible situation because even if we prioritize the little fuel that is left to the most urgent departments, we know that they won’t last more than 36 to 48 hours. While some patients are hanging by a thread, the lack of sustained electricity is impacting the level of care we can provide to those with burns and trauma”, says Julie Faucon, MSF medical team leader in Gaza. 
 

In December 2024, an average of only 59 trucks per day holding vital supplies were able to enter Gaza, compared to 500 trucks entering per day prior to 7 October 2023, according to the United Nations. MSF and other organisations have been warning for over a year that the woefully inadequate supply of aid is threatening the lives of people in Gaza. We have now reached a tipping point where one of the last specialised hospitals in the South risks of being out of order because of lack of fuel.